Danish court rejects Block House founder Eugen Block's bid to visit grandchildren

Court ruling in Sønderborg

A family court in the southern Danish town of Sønderborg has rejected an application for visitation rights filed by Eugen Block, the 86-year-old founder of the German restaurant chain Block House. The decision prevents the Hamburg entrepreneur from visiting his 12-year-old grandson and 15-year-old granddaughter, who reside in Denmark with their father, Stephan Hensel. Both Hensel and a spokesperson for Block confirmed the outcome on 18 September 2026. Under Danish legal practice, family court proceedings are conducted behind closed doors, and the court did not release the specific legal reasoning behind its ruling.

Children's stance and family reactions

Hensel stated that the two minors were not required to testify directly in court, as their views were submitted through psychological assessments. He noted that his children (who include an adult child aged 20, as well as the two minors aged nearly 16 and nearly 13) are legally free to contact or visit their grandfather, but have consistently declined to do so. Following the decision, Hensel and his wife, Astrid Have, called for the children's preferences to be acknowledged.

“We hope that this wish will now finally be respected.”

Block had previously attended a court hearing in Sønderborg alongside Hensel in August 2026, where he stated that he naturally wished to restore contact with his grandchildren after years of separation. Block expressed disappointment following the verdict and stated his intention to appeal the decision through the Danish legal system.

“I will continue to pursue the legal route in Denmark. My goal remains to be able to shape our family life together with all of my grandchildren once again.”

Origins of the custody dispute

The legal battle over visitation rights stems from a protracted custody conflict between Block's daughter, Christina Block, and her former husband, Stephan Hensel. The former couple shares four children. In 2021, the eldest child moved to Denmark to live with Hensel and his new wife. The second-eldest daughter continues to live with Christina Block in Hamburg. The dispute escalated in late August 2021 when Hensel kept the two younger children in Denmark after an agreed weekend visit, citing allegations of violence by the mother against them. Christina Block has consistently denied all allegations of mistreating her children.

Abduction and ongoing criminal proceedings

The custody battle intensified on New Year's Eve 2023, when several Israeli operatives physically attacked Hensel in Denmark and forcibly took the boy and the girl across the border into southern Germany. Christina Block collected the two children in southern Germany and transported them to Hamburg. Following a ruling by a Hamburg court, she arranged for the children to be returned to their father in Denmark on 5 January 2024. Christina Block has been on trial in Hamburg since July 2025 over allegations that she commissioned an Israeli security firm to execute the kidnapping, an accusation she denies.